When healthy, Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson is one of the best at his position. However, it seems even he is not looking forward to squaring off against the pairing of Los Angeles Rams defensive tackles Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh.
One of Johnson’s most defining traits is his reputation as a three-down back. During an appearance on PFT Live, he admitted that he would prefer not to pass-block against both Donald and Suh:
Just asked @DavidJohnson31 whether he'd prefer blocking @AaronDonald97 or @NdamukongSuh in pass protection. Answer: "Neither."
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) April 20, 2018
One cannot blame Johnson for his response. Aside from being two of the most dominant players in the trenches, both Donald and Suh are as competitive as they come. That said, having to potentially pick up pass-rushers of this caliber is certainly not ideal.
Johnson was poised to establish himself as one of the premier running backs in the NFL after coming off a stellar 2016 campaign. Unfortunately, his season was cut short after suffering a dislocated wrist in the opener against the Detroit Lions. Needless to say, he and the Cardinals are looking to enjoy a bit of a resurgence in the 2018 NFL season.
In order to do so, Arizona must figure out what to do about dealing with the Rams’ loaded defensive line. Suh and Donald have been the subject of double teams throughout the majority of their careers. Offenses will now undoubtedly have to scheme around the fact that Los Angeles has not one but two players that can disrupt any given play. Furthermore, all the hype surrounding this dynamic duo has teams sleeping on their other formidable defensive lineman in Michael Brockers.
Regardless, Johnson has been optimistic about Arizona’s offense this season if they are able to remain healthy. H]owever, a couple of meetings with the Rams is still not something Johnson or any other offensive player in the NFC West is looking forward to.
